


You're Such a Secret Softie

by musicalfreak86



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dani and jamie are both insecure little beans, just a whole lot of christmas fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicalfreak86/pseuds/musicalfreak86
Summary: Things don't go so well when Jamie tries to surprise Dani on Christmas Eve. A gift for the Damie Secret Santa gift exchange!
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 10
Kudos: 124





	You're Such a Secret Softie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatsoddlyromantic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoddlyromantic/gifts).



> This gift is for danigayton on tumblr! I really hope you enjoy it! Have a great holiday!  
> This is entirely un-beta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

Contrary to what one may expect, Dani Clayton was not the kind of person who celebrated the holidays with much gusto. When she was engaged to Eddie, she spent the holidays with his family more often than not, which forced her to play the doting fiancé role and led to her feeling more than a little out of place. As a child, she spent most holidays feeling envious of her friends who got excited for Christmas and presents and Santa Claus. She even got in trouble at school one year for telling one of her classmates that Santa didn’t exist. The child had a meltdown and Dani had been given a time out and was sent home with a note that her mother promptly ignored.

What she should have realized, however, was that Christmas could not be ignored in a house that contained both Flora and Owen. Flora, who got excited about every little thing, dubbing it all “perfectly splendid,” and Owen, who put his heart and soul into every single meal at the house. Add in Hannah, who humored every pun and gazed at Owen as though he invented food, and Miles, who doted on his sister’s every whim despite trying to act too cool. Suddenly, it seemed as though she and Jamie were the only two Scrooges in the house.

Which put Dani even more down in the dumps when, the night of Christmas Eve, her girlfriend had mysteriously disappeared. She had gotten used to Jamie being around in the evenings. Once they had begun having their “sleepovers,” as Flora had grumpily dubbed them the first time she noticed that Jamie had stayed over, they hadn’t felt inclined to stop. Both women were lonelier than they cared to admit, and now that they had found comfort in one another, they weren’t eager to let it go. Jamie stayed over at least every few nights. She still went back to her apartment frequently, insisting that she had to spend some time with her own houseplants and that as long as she was paying rent there, she may as well stay occasionally. But her clothes were slowly migrating into Dani’s bureau until she had to sift through multiple flannels and overalls just to find her own blouses in the mornings. Her nerves got the best of her every time she got close to broaching the subject, but she wanted nothing more than to tell Jamie to forget her flat and move in with her at the mansion.

So, naturally, when Jamie disappeared for several nights in a row, Dani’s lack of self-confidence took hold and she began sinking deeper and deeper into a mood.

Christmas Eve had gone well enough. Flora had insisted that they needed to spend time together as a family, drinking hot chocolate and sitting by the fire. Owen had wholeheartedly agreed, and of course Miles and Hannah were on board. So, Dani slipped into her old habits of trying to fake her Christmas cheer. It was a strangely lonely sensation, being in a room with four other people and yet still feeling so _alone._ She sat herself on the sofa with Flora tucked into her side, sipping her drink and babbling excitedly about some story Dani had lost the plot of. She forced a smile onto her face when Miles grinned at her from across the little coffee table. It felt as close to home as Dani had ever experienced, and yet she still felt so empty. The feeling had set in as soon as Jamie had once again said her goodnights as the rest settled in for dinner, excusing herself to head back to her own flat. Dani had almost asked her to stay, but the words had died on her tongue after Jamie gently brushed off Flora’s same request.

Soon, Flora was dozing off on the rug where she had moved to lie on her back, looking up into the branches of the large, artificial Christmas tree that Jamie had insisted upon getting. She had immediately shot down the children’s request for a real tree, stating that she would not cut down a years old tree for the sake of decoration. Her tone of voice had kept even Miles from arguing.

Miles himself was sitting on the floor next to his sister, yawning widely and staring into the fire.

“I think it’s about time for bed,” Dani said softly, standing and setting her empty mug on the table. Miles nodded, the lack of argument from the boy a testament to his state of exhaustion. As Dani gathered the sleepy Flora into her arms, she found herself missing Jamie all over again. The girl wasn’t big, but the slight struggle she had in lifting her limp weight made her remember the ease with which her girlfriend had carried her not too long ago.

Once Owen had taken his leave and Hannah had turned in, Dani padded barefoot back into the kitchen to heat some water. She knew she should also go to bed. The hour was getting quite late, and the children would be up bright and early the next morning. The excitement of the approaching holiday had truly taken hold within the past week, and the children had been practically vibrating with it for days now. She just couldn’t bring herself to go upstairs to her room, though. It felt too lonely, a feeling she chose not to explore this late.

A chill was beginning to settle into the house, and once she had her tea, which tasted just fine to her, thank you very much, she moved back to the couch. The fire had burned itself down to embers, which were still glowing just enough to provide minimal heat, but the age of the house was made apparent by the drafts that she could feel coming in around the large windows.

Dani grabbed the quilt that was draped over the back of the couch and tucked her feet up under her. She wished that she had her slippers, but they were all the way up in the too quiet room, which was much too far to travel when she had a warm blanket and a dying fire to stare into. In fact, she was beginning to get drowsy, her mug tipping precariously in her limp hands, when she jerked awake again.

At first, she thought she had just startled herself awake. She must have imagined the lights that shone across the front window, but as soon as she had almost convinced herself that she had been dreaming, she heard the distinct sound of an engine turning off outside.

She stood warily from the couch, setting the mug down and allowing the quilt to fall from her lap onto the floor. Her gaze strayed to the fire poker that stood sentry on the hearth but thought better of it. Peter Quint hadn’t been a problem for a long time, and even the other haunts on the grounds seemed to be quiet now. But she was positive that she had heard an engine.

_“Just a crack,”_ she thought to herself as she cautiously approached the heavy front doors. _“I’ll just open it a crack, and if there’s someone out there I can lock it again and call the police.”_

Heart pounding, Dani unlocked the deadbolt with a _thunk_ that seemed way too loud in the still, late-night air, and peered around the corner. There was freshly fallen snow outside, and through it, tire tracks. The grounds looked like a winter wonderland, but she could only focus on one thing. Her whole body relaxed when she recognized the familiar sight of Jamie’s truck.

“Oh my god,” she said aloud, her voice carrying across the still grounds as she stepped out onto the porch. “Jamie, what on earth are you doing here at this hour?”

Jamie grinned sheepishly. She slumped a little as she stepped out of her truck. Something was cradled in her hands, but Dani couldn’t see it clearly, even with the light streaming out of the open front door.

“Hey Poppins,” she said. Her voice was soft, and Dani could just see her breath fogging the air in front of her. She shivered, only just realizing how cold it was outside with no coat and no shoes. “I wanted to surprise ya. I didn’t expect you’d still be awake.”

“Yeah,” Dani breathed, marveling at how light she felt now that Jamie was there in front of her. It was a feeling she didn’t care to confront—she was having a lot of those tonight. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“You alright?” Jamie asked, concern growing in her voice as she locked her truck and stepped closer.

“I’m fine now,” Dani said, noticing that she was truly smiling for the first time that evening. Hell, it felt like it was the first time in _days._ “Wow, I missed you.”

“I missed you too, love,” Jamie said. She took a step toward the house and two things happened in quick succession.

First, Dani noticed that the pathway to the mansion was looking awfully shiny. The light that was escaping the front doors behind her was reflecting off of it in a way that was not normal. Then, before she could even process what she saw, Jamie’s feet had shot out from under her and she was lying on her back on the icy ground.

“Jamie!” Dani exclaimed, hurrying down the stairs and out into the yard to check on her girlfriend. She didn’t think twice about her own feet as she sank past her ankles in the snow. Jamie looked a little stunned, and whatever had been in her hands had landed a few feet away. Dani dropped to her knees next to her, ignoring the way her pants were instantly soaked. “Don’t sit up yet. Did you hit your head?”

“Not m’head,” Jamie groaned, finally getting her bearings enough to sit up. She hissed in pain when she bent her legs. “Think I twisted my ankle pretty good though.” She looked around herself for the item she had been carrying, swearing under her breath when she saw where it had landed.

“We need to get you inside. Do you think you can stand?” Dani asked, trying awkwardly to get a grip on Jamie’s arm.

“Course I can,” Jamie muttered a little grumpily. “But I need to get—” She cut herself off with a hiss of pain when she tried to get her leg underneath her to stand up. She groaned in frustration and rolled onto her side to reach what she had dropped.

“Forget it,” Dani said, not even looking at what she was trying to grab. “That’s not important right now.”

“It is!” Jamie protested, her fingertips just brushing what Dani realized was a potted plant.

“Okay, okay,” Dani said, putting her hands up. There was no arguing with Jamie where plants were concerned. “I’ll get it for you. But let’s get you standing first.” Between the two of them and the side mirror on Jamie’s truck, they were able to get her standing unsteadily on her left leg. Even in the dim light Dani could see that her face was pale as she tried to put weight on her ankle. She quickly gathered up the plant and slipped her arm around Jamie’s waist. One little hobble at a time, they managed to make it up the steps and back into the mansion.

Dani deposited Jamie on the couch she had abandoned and set the plant on the table in front of her. She knelt down and gently unlaced her boots, slipping them off along with her socks. Her right ankle was already swelling.

“Oh, Jamie,” she breathed, cradling her foot in her lap. “I’m going to get you some ice, okay?” Jamie was staring at the plant on the table, her expression blank. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Mhm,” Jamie muttered, resting her chin on her hand and not looking at Dani. She hesitated, watching her for a moment before she moved into the kitchen. She briefly considered making some more tea but decided to skip that catastrophe. She wrapped some ice in a towel and returned to the living room to see that Jamie was still sitting in the same position, her right leg stretched out somewhat awkwardly in front of her.

“Here,” Dani said, holding out the ice pack like a peace offering. “You need to put this on your ankle to stop the swelling. It looks bad, but I’m hoping it’s just a little twisted.”

“Poppins, your feet,” Jamie said, finally snapping out of whatever train of thought had been derailing in her mind. Dani looked down at her own toes, which had turned bright red from the cold. “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning to run out into the snow, now was I?” Dani said, biting back a laugh. “Just my clumsy girlfriend trying to surprise me in the middle of the night, you know?”

“Take these off and get over here. Please?” Jamie requested, her hands coming up to pluck at the waistband of Dani’s pants. They were soaked through from where she had knelt by Jamie outside, and though Dani knew that this was the reason the gardener was trying to get her out of them, she couldn’t help but flush a little. She kicked the pants off, wishing that she had been a little more prepared. She had thought Jamie was gone for the evening and hadn’t exactly worn her most attractive pair of underwear. But when she sat next to Jamie on the couch and she threw the quilt over both of them, all thoughts of undergarments were gone. She hadn’t realized how cold she was, and she shivered and moved closer to Jamie’s side, tucking her feet up underneath her as she had done earlier in the evening.

“Here,” she said, guiding Jamie to prop her leg on the table. She placed the ice pack on her ankle, making sure that it was secure before leaning back. “You might not be doing much for the next few days.”

“Fuck,” Jamie breathed, leaning her head back against the couch. “And I have so much to do. I’m really behind on work here.”

“I’ll get the kids to help you. They’ll love it,” Dani said, pulling the blanket up further. Now that she wasn’t distracted anymore, she was beginning to shiver. Something nagged at the back of her mind and she looked up at Jamie, whose eyes were closed. “If you’re behind on work, why haven’t you been staying? It seems like you’ve been very eager to run off in the evenings lately.” She tried not to let the vulnerability seep into her voice, but she could tell that she had failed by the way Jamie opened her eyes and stared at her.

The gardener sighed and leaned forward to grab the plant from the table. Dani whined a little at the movement, the shift allowing cold air to seep underneath the quilt and brush her bare skin. Once Jamie had settled back against the couch Dani scooted in closer. She was practically in her lap now, but she couldn’t stop the shivers. The poor plant was looking a little worse for wear, having been dumped out into the snow and then carried inside by Dani’s less than careful hands.

“It’s for you,” Jamie said, once again not meeting Dani’s eyes. Her knuckles were white around the pot. “Or well, it was. I’d understand if you don’t want it now. I don’t know if it’ll survive that little spill.”

“Jamie,” Dani breathed, gently loosening the gardener’s grip on the pot. She covered her hands with her own. “Of course I want it. Did you grow this?”

Jamie nodded, swallowing heavily. “That’s why I haven’t been here much this week. I wanted to be attentive to this little one. Make sure it got here safely. A lot of good that did. I really fucked it up.” Her hands toyed restlessly with the plant, picking off a flower bud that had been snapped in the fall. Dani leaned forward to try to catch her gaze and was startled to see that her eyes were wet.

“You didn’t fuck anything up,” she said, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple. “Quite the opposite. You grew this for me Jamie. No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

Jamie released a choked laugh, relaxing just the smallest bit and leaning her head against Dani’s. “It was stupid. I’m not good at giving gifts. All I know how to do is grow things, and that’s old news. And now it probably won’t even survive.”

“That’s not true,” Dani murmured. She took the plant carefully from Jamie’s hands, and Jamie gripped the quilt in her lap instead. “What kind of flower is it?” She brushed a few of the leaves with careful fingertips and decided right there that she would do anything it took to keep this plant alive.

“It’s an orchid,” Jamie whispered, staring at her lap. “They’re not easy to grow. They’re finicky, these. I was scared to leave it for too long. I wanted it to be perfect for you.” Her voice broke a little and Dani felt her heart break as well.

“Hey,” she said, trying to get Jamie’s attention. She set the orchid on the table and shifted so she was straddling Jamie’s legs. She cupped her face in her hands, rubbing her thumbs across her cheekbones and leaving small smudges of dirt behind. “Hey, it is perfect. It came from you, didn’t it?” She kissed her soundly and then pulled away, smiling at the sniffles that were coming from her girlfriend. “You’re such a secret softie.”

“Shut up, you’re ruining my image,” Jamie scoffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. She smiled faintly. “You really like it?”

“I love it,” Dani whispered. She leaned back in, gasping a little when Jamie slipped her tongue into her mouth. “I love you,” she breathed against her lips.

Jamie jerked back, her eyes almost comically large. Dani would have laughed if she weren’t mortified about what she had just said. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she stammered, moving to slide off of Jamie’s lap. “I didn’t mean—I’m sorry.”

Jamie’s hands came up to grasp Dani’s hips and keep her in place.

“Don’t,” she whispered, leaning in and kissing her again. Dani could feel the intensity behind the kiss and groaned. “Don’t go. Poppins.” She pulled away and Dani was startled to see a vulnerability there that she hadn’t seen since the night Jamie had shown her the moonflowers.

“I don’t say this about many people,” Jamie said, looking off somewhere over Dani’s shoulder. “I didn’t feel like I had a family until I came here. I _didn’t_ have a family. And then I met Owen and Hannah and the kids. And then you came out of nowhere…” She ran her palms up and down Dani’s bare thighs in what seemed like just a nervous gesture but sent the heat that had been growing in Dani’s face south. “I don’t really know what to say except I love you, too, Poppins.”

Dani couldn’t stop grinning, and the next kiss they shared was mostly teeth. She maneuvered them so that Jamie was lying on the couch and leaned over her. The ice pack slipped off Jamie’s ankle and fell to the floor.

“How’s your foot feel?” Dani whispered against Jamie’s lips and Jamie looked up in surprise.

“Honestly, love, I’ve forgotten all about it,” she said with a grin, and Dani laughed.

“Good,” she replied, pressing Jamie down into the couch.


End file.
